Irish didn't show any rust against Miami after layoff

After enjoying a bye week, No. 7 Notre Dame got right down to business last Saturday against Miami, scoring on its opening drive.

But the Irish (5-0) really took command from the second quarter on with 34 unanswered points as they buried Miami on the way to a 41-3 victory at Soldier Field in Chicago.

However, the Irish will take nothing for granted when they host Stanford (4-1) on Saturday in South Bend.

"We look to build on (last Saturday) against an outstanding Stanford football team," coach Brian Kelly said. "A lot of things stand out about this football team.

"First, they're a well-coached team in all phases, offense, defense and special teams. They're a physical football team."

The Irish piled up 376 rushing yards last week against the Hurricanes, but they'll be challenged to repeat those numbers. The Cardinal defense allows an average of 77.2 yards per game against the run.

George Atkinson III rushed 10 times for 123 yards and a touchdown while Cierre Wood added 18 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns against Miami.

Quarterback Everett Golson also exhibited improvement, completing 17-of-22 passes for 186 yards and efficiently guiding the Irish on seven scoring drives. But Kelly said there are still things to clean up.

"We threw the ball better, clearly, but there were a lot of throws left out there that we have to get back," Kelly said. "That's the next stage for him."

Notre Dame dominates the overall series, but Stanford has back-to-back victories in the last two seasons.

"If there is one team that has beaten us physically is Stanford, and (we) know that," Kelly said. "Secondly, they turned the film on and watched what (the Cardinal) did to their opponents, they physically intimidated their opponents and that's clear.

" ... They don't need much push from me to know what to expect this weekend."

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NCAAF Team Report - Notre Dame - NOTES, QUOTES

--ESPN's CollegeGameDay will be on hand on Saturday in South Bend for the first time since 2005. Hosted by Chris Fowler, the show will air live at 9 a.m. EST on ESPNU and 10 a.m. EST on ESPN from Library Mall on the Notre Dame campus. The game will be televised live on NBC with kickoff at 3:39 p.m. EST.

--Saturday's game will be the 276th sellout at Notre Dame Stadium in the last 277 games and 228th in succession. Since 1966, every Irish home game has sold out except for a 1973 Thanksgiving day game against Air Force.

--Notre Dame has yet to trail in any games this season. The last time that happened was in 1957, when the Irish went on to a national championship.

--Even at 5-0 and rising in the weekly polls, coach Brian Kelly declines to look much at the big picture. "We don't talk about that level from 30,000 feet because it doesn't do us any good," Kelly said. "All we can focus on is what we can control on a day-to-day basis. When I do maybe press conferences or talk to the media, sometimes I let our team know, "Listen, I'll talk in those terms.' But among us, it's about today and what we do today."

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Notre Dame's running attack ignited last Saturday against Miami. The Irish rushed for 376 yards, the most since they piled up 380 in 2000 against Boston College. Cierre Wood and George Atkinson III each had 100-yard games, the first time an Irish duo hit 100 yards since 2000. Stanford's defense is sixth in the nation, giving up an average 77.20 rushing yards per game. Everett Golson passed for 185 yards, split between a variety of receivers. He also rushed for 51 yards.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The Irish defense hasn't given up a touchdown in three straight games and has allowed only three all season, the fewest among Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Notre Dame ranks second in scoring defense at 7.8 points per game and the 39 points over five games are the fewest allowed since 1976. The Irish rank among the top-20 in FBS in nine categories: scoring defense, red zone defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense, first downs defense, interceptions, turnovers forced, rush defense and sacks. Cardinal running back Stepfan Taylor averages 110 yards per game is is the school's No. 3 all-time rusher with 3,325 yards.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're tight in our locker room. We support him through everything, and he understands that. We hold him accountability for what his job is. But at the same time, we know he's more than capable. And I think he showed that." -- Stanford coach David Shaw, on QB Josh Nunes, who passed for 360 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for three touchdowns in a overtime win last week over Arizona.